Arming the British Home Guard, 1940-1944

Abstract:

The Second World War saw British society mobilised to an unprecedented extent to
meet the threat of Total War. ‘Total Defence’ was manifest in organisations such as the
ARP and Home Guard. What sets the Home Guard apart was its combatant role. This
thesis examines the arms provided for the Home Guard, and concludes that its combat
power has been seriously underestimated. It benefitted from huge quantities of high
quality smallarms purchased from the United States, which were not issued to the
Regular Army, because they chambered American ammunition. What is extraordinary
is that these weapons are always characterised as ancient relics, yet the oldest of them
was years younger, in real and design terms, than the British Army equivalent.
In 1940 Britain lacked the capacity to manufacture arms in the quantities needed to
repair the losses of Dunkirk and meet the needs of the expanding armed forces. The
remedy was unorthodox weaponry such as the ‘Sticky Bomb’ and the ‘Blacker
Bombard’. These are always associated with the Home Guard, yet saw active service
against the Africa Corps. These unconventional weapons were more capable than many
modern authors suggest, but they suffer from an impenetrable ‘orthodox view’ that
characterises Home Guard weapons as ancient, whimsical and inefficient. This has its
origins in the Local Defence Volunteers’ disappointment when the Government failed
to meet its promise to arm every volunteer; their dismay at receiving foreign equipment;
the way in which the media portrayed the Home Guard; and the fact that the great
threats the Home Guard existed to combat – invasion and subversion – appeared to be
illusory, making the Home Guard itself seem quixotic.
This study strips away that conventional narrative, and exposes a Home Guard that was
well equipped for its tasks – frequently better equipped than other components of Home
Defence.